Snap-hook.



No; 629,224. Patented July sa, :399. E.- WATKINS.

SNAI"` HUUK. (Applicaion led Apr. 26, 1898.;

(No Mudd.)

fm/enh# differ/rey.

' Badaxe, in the county lof Huron and. State of y exact description of the invention, such as right angles and diverge from each other to closing movement of said branches upon each UNITED STATES EDWIN WATKINS, on.-

PATENT OEEicE.

EADAXn Miorncnn.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,224, dated July 18,' 1899'.

Application filed April 2B, 1898. kSerial No. 678,897. (No model.)

To osZZ whom, tm/wy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN Wn'rKiNs'a citizen of the United States, and a residentof Michigan, have invented certain new and useful .Improvements in Snap-Hooks; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and

will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of'this specification.

Figure l of the-drawings is a side View of myimproved snap-hook. Fig. 2 is an edge view of same, and Fig. 3 is a side view with the jaws spread. 1

This invention is designed to pro vide a snaphook of novel and useful character; and it consists in a snap-hook formed from wire and of the peculiar construction hereinafter de-v scribed, and pointed out in the appended claim.

In the manufacture of my improved snaphook I take a piece of wire and form the cen-l tral portion thereof into twocoils. These coils are shown at A in the accompanying drawings and maybe made of oblong or ovalV form, if desired, in order to form a broader loop for the reception of a strap or rope.

Leaving the coils the two branches of the` Wire are each laterally dellected to meet and cross the other branch upon the opposite side of the snap-hook from the coil from which it proceeds and adjacent to the coils. The branches are then each given a twist at about form a compression-loop B, each branch of the loop extending ont upon the same side of the snap-hook as the coil from which it proceeds. The two branches of the Wire are then again .brought together and are again intercrossed,but in the opposite direction to the rst intercrossing. Each branch of the 4wire is formed at this point with a lat-eral olfset'b, said odsets interlocking to limit the other in a direction at approximately right angles to the plane of the loop B. From this odset the two branches run substantially parallel with each other for a short distance and terminate in semicircular open hook or jaw portions C, which lie in planes at right angles to the plane of the coils A and in the plane of the loop B and which lap 'or spring past each other, as shown.

It will be readily seen that when these hooks are engaged with a ring or the like into which they are snapped they cannot become disengaged Without the aid of the hand, but that by pressing together the two branches of the wire at the bends h' of the loop B the two gagement and disengagement. Therefore the hook may be readily engagedor disengaged even though ones fingers are benumbed with cold and without removing the glove or mitten from the hand. It, can also be disengaged Without taking u p the slack in the strap.

It will be noticed that whenk the loop B is compressed .the branches of the wire leaving the coils will take a pivotal bearing upon oppositev sides of the upper connecting-arm of the coils and exert a leverage to spread said coils at the bottom, (see Fig. 3)-that is to say, for a given compressionv of the loop a `greater torsion of the coils is eiected than when the center of pivotal movement isat the bottom of the coils,gas is the case with any other mode of forming the coils and loop. A

lstronger spring action of the coils is the result.

Having thus described my invention, what yI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The herein described snap hook, formed .hooks will readily separate to permit their eni from a single piece of Wire bent at its central portion tovform two coils, the two branches of deflected to cross the. other branch, upon the the wire leaving the coils being each laterally l opposite side of the snap-hook from the-coil from which it proceeds, then given a twist at about right angles and diverged to form a compression-loop, the arms ofsaid loop extending out'each upon the same side of the snap-hook as the coil from which it proceeds, and terminating at their extremities in over lapping hooks, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

. EDWIN VVATKINS. lVitnesses:

JAMES Rowe, CHARLES D. THOMPSON. 

